True Story star Wesley Snipes talked about his love for drama in the latest episode of Shadow And Act’s podcast Opening Act with Trey Mangum.
He also revealed the ultimatum he gave co-star Kevin Hart regarding Hart’s jump from comedy to drama.
“I initially was reluctant to do the project because I thought it would be a comedy, and I insulted them by suggesting that it would be like 30 Rock or Curb Your Enthusiasm,” said Snipes about joining the film. “They [creator Eric Newman and Hart] were like, ‘Absolutely not.’…When we had the conversation during the Zoom call, the whole call went silent…they wanted to go straight noir.”
When he signed onto the project, Snipes said he wanted to make sure Hart was fully on board with going the dramatic route.
“I made him a deal. I said, ‘I don’t play with this. When it comes to drama, I take it extremely serious, and I’m not here to pimp it just for you to get further recognition or more followers,” he said. “If you’re coming into this to be serious, if you’re coming to do your best and see what the world of dramatic acting is about…I can rock with you. But if you’re not with that, tell me now, because we can cast somebody else.”
Snipes’ commitment to his craft has been evident throughout his career, particularly in his hit action film (and precursor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Blade. Snipes said that he hopes the film’s legacy will eventually lead to a plethora of martial arts and action films starring people of color.
“We inspired more artists, more directors, more talent in this action space. If you think about it now, you can’t point to a Black martial arts series like Cobra Kai. You can’t point to a legacy or a coupling of action films…that feature Black and Brown artists,” he said. “My prayer is that we’ll keep doing the work that will inspire those creatives and teach them the game [and] how to do it, [learning] what the Koreans do [and what] the Chinese do to make it work, how to do it under budget, how to stay healthy, how to stay fit, and how to manufacture high quality action content–action-drama, action-vampires, action-zombies, action-action…the more they learn, I have no doubt they are taltened and qualfied produce high quality products. They just have to learn and be given an opportunity.”
True Story is now streaming on Netflix.
Listen to Opening Act below:
